In 2025, LeBron James will be entering a season for the first time in his career in which he is clearly not the number one option on the team. That distinction instead belongs to Luka Doncic, whom the Los Angeles Lakers traded for at the deadline last year in the most shocking move in NBA history and have since extended on a new contract.
Still, James remains one of the best players in the NBA at the age of 40, and recently, former Lakers forward Markeiff Morris dropped a bold prediction on just how much longer the kid from Akron could stay in the league, incorrectly adding a couple of years to his current age in the process.
“What’s he right now 41, 42? He for sure can play until 46,” said Morris, per Million Dollaz Worth of Game. “That’s for a fact, that’s factual. He’s 42 and he’s still having the best years of his career, at 42.”
Morris also opined that “He could play until 46. I’d say another four years if he wanted to. He could play four more years if he wanted to. He’s playing now at such a high level and he’s the second best player on the team, so he’s the focal point.”
A truly unprecedented player
While some players have hung around in the NBA until they reach the age 40 plateau, none of them have come nearly as close to being as good as James is currently. James is still more than capable of taking over games for large stretches at a time, and while he has sacrificed some of his defensive effort in order to keep that up, he can still lock up another team's best player for a few possessions at a time.
The Lakers have made it clear that their priority moving forward is building around Doncic, who has shown off his slimmed-down frame with frequent media appearances this summer. Los Angeles made some interesting additions in the buyout market, signing Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart to help add to their depth.
Los Angeles is set to kick off its 2025 season at home against the Golden State Warriors on October 22.
